Kick-Start Your New Year: Test Your Smoke Detectors

Take five minutes this weekend to test the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

 

 

If you install new batteries on any of your smoke detectors, set up two reminders of when to replace them.

 

First, take a piece of masking tape, and write the today's date on it. Then wrap it around the middle of the battery, being sure not to cover the ends. That way you'll know at a glance when the new battery was put in.

 

Second, if you use the calendar on your computer or on your phone, create an alert for one year from today. If you haven't replaced the battery by the time the alert goes off, you'll know to replace it on that day.

 

Related:

How to Prepare for an Emergency
25 Timely Tips for the New Year
A Room-by-Room Guide to Making Your Home Safer